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Why the huge variance in excess data costs from the same supplier? $15-$17.50/GB excess on other Optus wireless plans and $100 excess on an iPad plan, this doesn't make sense, lets not get on the iWagon, surely data costs are data costs? Or is there some other reason?

Why the huge variance in excess data costs from the same supplier? $15-$17.50/GBexcess on other Optus wireless plans and $100 excess on an iPad plan

The casual plan is intended as a low usage plan - only includes 250Mb download. If you analyse other providers (Optus et al) they are billing in increments of 10Mb for iPad data plans. This means even if you just use a 1Kb session they will charge for 10Mb. If you will use a lot of data, then logically you would go for a higher end plan where the excess is lower.Yes we have some room to move on the excess charges but nowhere to go on the actual monthly amount. We have to make margin somewhere. It would be commercially irresponsible not to. And yes the wholesale data rate from Voda is not as good as from Optus.

I would imagine it depends on what the wholesalers wants to charge Exetel - I'd imagine that the HSPA plans are wholesale priced on the intended nature of the plans, and therefore the usage. The wholesalers may see a different story for iPad specific plans, and will probably charge Exetel differently. Fact of life for any reseller, I guess.

I am very interested. But my wireless data usage is irregular. Some months I use more, some months I don't use much at all, it all depends on whether I travel for work. So I wouldn't want a monthly plan that forfeits the unused data or requires ongoing top-up to roll-over data allowance.

I would prefer either:1. Something like $0.02 per meg pay as you use2. or a yearly plan like $100 for 10GB or $150 for 15GB, use whenever during the year.

Because the iPad requires a different SIM (or so I am led to believe) I could understand $30/GB excess but $100 is a bit excessive pardon the pun. And saying its because it's a nice thing to have is just no excuse IMO. My Nokia is a nice thing to have IMO. In 2 years time iPad will be a has been. Again it doesn't matter what device is at the end of the string it's still just data being supplied by the same wholesaler to a different device than the norm